Mission Education

To promote wide recognition for science and research and to foster support for a knowledge-based society is the overall “Mission Education” of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings – and it applies especially to the area of science education. In this spirit, educative contents of the mediatheque are being gradually developed for use in schools. Moreover, teachers are supported in their work and involved in the dialogue with scientists.

Teaching Spirit – Teachers at the Lindau Meetings

Children and young people usually become enthusiastic about science at school. This is where they acquire the basic knowledge and skills for a research career. Teachers play a significant part in the fundamental training of future scientists. As part of the overall mission to support and promote initiatives towards more and better education, Teaching Spirit is a programme that rewards teachers who have shown extraordinary dedication in teaching science at school.

Every year, select teachers from Austria, Germany and Switzerland are invited to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting to gain inspiration and new ideas for creative and motivating teaching.

With unique content dating back to 1952, the mediatheque of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings maps their rich history of scientific dialogue. The mediatheque is gradually being developed further to provide a learning platform and research resource for scientists and those fascinated by science, particularly teachers and students. Moreover, select mediatheque contents are successively made accessible via educative content providers.

Lectures

More than half of the approximately 1,000 lectures held by Nobel Laureates at the Lindau Meetings thus far have been documented in the mediatheque: It contains 500 videos or picture slide shows, many of which are subtitled and annotated, as well as abstracts and full transcripts.

Research Profiles

The mediatheque contains biographical profiles of all Nobel Laureates who have thus far participated in the Lindau Meetings. They are gradually being supplemented with explanatory information on the scientific accomplishments of the laureates, relating their research to the historical as well as to the contemporary scientific context.

Topic Clusters

By clustering and contextualising related mediatheque contents in topic clusters, a team of editors continuously compiles comprehensible introductions to major scientific fields and topics, like cancer, proteins, or subatomic particles.

Mini Lectures

Following a contemporary didactic approach, the mediatheque is complemented with short animated videos – Mini Lectures – outlining key issues of science and research in a both educative and entertaining fashion.

Nobel Labs 360°

So far, 13 Nobel Laureates have made their workplaces accessible virtually in the mediatheque: The 360° panoramic photos taken by German photographer Volker Steger depict their labs in great detail; embedded video and audio recordings add to the entertaining and educational experience of a virtual lab tour. Nobel Labs 360° can be displayed in web applications, on personal tablet computers, or on large touch screens in exhibitions.

Life Paths

With Life Paths, mediatheque users can vividly display and compare the life and career paths of Nobel Laureates on a rotatable globe. The data from their biographies was compiled and processed in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. The more life paths tracked, the more convenient it becomes to identify parallels and differences in researchers’ careers. Life Paths is based on an idea by Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias.

Partners

As select contents of the mediatheque are especially suitable for use in schools, the Council and the Foundation embarked on a strategy to collaborate with non-profit providers of digital educational content, mainly public providers of didactic material for teachers. Teachers may access the digital contents online and include them in their teaching material free of any charges.

Sketches of Science

Why not ask Nobel Laureates to make a sketch of the discovery for which they received the Nobel Prize – and then ask them to present their artwork to the camera? This is exactly what German photographer Volker Steger did to create the exhibition “Sketches of Science”.

In his photos, Volker Steger captures the spontaneity and creativity of Nobel Laureates; the pictures express the enthusiasm of scientists and researchers for their work. An exhibition of 50 photos of the series was launched at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm in June 2012, and has been on tour around the globe ever since.

Nobel Portraits

German photographer Peter Badge chose to specialise in the classic genre of portraiture for the photo series “NOBELS”. His ambition is to create a comprehensive gallery of unique personal portraits of each and every living Nobel Laureate. What began as a small collection in the year 2000 now encompasses nearly 400 portraits.

Badge’s black-and-white photos reveal the personality of the portrayed laureates and generate recognition for their scientific, literary or humanitarian achievements. Many of the photos were taken at the Lindau Meetings, but the project has also taken Badge all around the globe.

Nobel Labs 360°

Being taken on a guided tour through the laboratories and offices of Nobel prize-winning researchers is certainly not a common thing. But the project Nobel Labs 360° opens doors to anyone interested in looking behind the scenes: Thirteen Nobel Laureates have made their workplaces accessible virtually.

German photographer Volker Steger’s 360° panoramic photos depict every detail of the places he gets invited to. They can be displayed in web applications, on personal tablet computers, or on large touch screens in public exhibitions. Embedded video and audio recordings add to the entertaining and educational experience of the virtual lab tours.

Nature Video Series

Every year since 2008, Nature Video have produced a series of films that focus on select topics and participants of the Lindau Meetings. These educative and entertaining films showcase what “Lindau” is all about: sharing knowledge and ideas, seeking inspiration and motivation, finding companions and friends, and forging networks.

Thanks to the support of Mars, Incorporated, and in association with Scientific American, the following series have been produced:

Nature Outlook Series

Since 2010, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have each been featured in Nature Outlook, the supplement to the scientific journal. With their content mix of full-length features, articles and interviews, these publications serve as high-quality, enduring records of the vivid exchange among laureates and young scientists.

Thanks to the support of Mars, Incorporated, the following supplements have been published:

The Lindau Meetings: Now and Then

This exhibition showcases the development the Lindau Meetings have taken during their long history and highlights where they stand today. It is permanently on display at the city museum of Lindau, open daily from 10:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs in the season from March to October.